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Meeting set on closing James City Post Office

JAMES CITY – A public meeting on the proposed closing of the James City Post Office is scheduled Tuesday at the Highland Township Fire Hall.The meeting is expected to run from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the fire hall in James City.The U.S. Postal Service has proposed closing hundreds of post offices nationwide in an effort to cut costs. The closing of post offices in Ludlow and Hazel Hurst also has been proposed.Post office officials will be on hand Tuesday to answer questions from James City residents on the proposed closing. Similar community meetings already have been held in Ludlow and Hazel Hurst.Donald Snyder, the manager of operations and program support at the Postal Service base in Pittsburgh, said options for James City residents will be discussed Tuesday.Those options include the delivery of mail by a rural carrier to “curbside boxes” in front of houses in James City.Snyder said James City residents have been asked to “complete a survey,” which will become part of the ongoing “feasibility study” regarding the proposed closing of the post office.Residents will have the opportunity Tuesday to voice their comments. Through March 11, residents also can provide written opinions to Snyder at 1001 California Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa. 15280-9993.Snyder said Junius Johnson, an administrative official for the Postal Service at the Pittsburgh base, is expected to attend Tuesday’s meeting in James City.According to Snyder, residents will be able to obtain all postal services from a rural carrier if the James City Post Office is closed. He said residents would be able to buy stamps and money orders and send and receive packages through their rural carrier when the mail is delivered to the boxes outside their homes.“There are options for delivery if the post office is closed,” Snyder said.The placement of “cluster boxes” for mail also is an option, he said.The Postal Service placed “cluster boxes” outside the Russell City Store after closing the DeYoung Post Office nearly 20 years ago. A rural carrier from the Kane Post Office delivers mail and packages to the Russell City “cluster boxes.”Snyder confirmed that a national moratorium on the closing of post offices runs through May 15. However, he said an “actual decision” on closing certain post offices could be made before that date based on the “feasibility study.”See full article by purchasing the Jan. 23 edition of The Kane Republican.